In June, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital paid £17.5 million for 16-year-old Kendry Paez from Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle. Although the teenager won’t officially join Chelsea until he turns 18 in 2025, he has already demonstrated his potential for both club and country.
Paez made history as the youngest South American footballer to score a goal in a World Cup qualifier last month, forming a partnership with Moises Caicedo for Ecuador. With huge potential at such a young age, the midfielder is considered to have a promising future. Journalist Süleyman Öztürk believes Paez has the world at his feet and could surpass talents like Jude Bellingham, describing him as “next level” and the greatest talent in South America.
Özturk told Voetball Zone:
“I just didn’t know what I saw. You have Bellingham, you have Zaire-Emery, but that Páez…He is next level. I really rarely have that. I once had it with Mbappé, during his Monaco days.
“And I have that with Páez too. That’s really not normal. You’ll just have to remember that name. These are boys who are 16, but they could also have been 26.”
The way people are talking about the Ecuadorian youngster should excite Chelsea supporters, and with him having a couple of years before joining up with the club, it will be intriguing to watch how Páez continues his growth.